Green Hearts
by Sandra Cloudpole
Summary: A story of a mage and a herald save a kingdom and a half. My first fic!


I revised this until it made sense and space. this will eventually be a brair/lavan paring so if you don't like don't read!!

Lan looked up to see that the sky had grown a pearly gray, with a mist hiding most of the Companions field. Debating if he should head back to his rooms or try to find a practice target. He knew some of the older trainees would love to see him at night.

_:Chosen, how much more could you take:_ Kiara remarked in the way that a only companion could. She had been secretive of late. And he was eager to know why. He sighed for a moment. _:Why do you ask what you already know: _Lan should have been worried sick about what she wasn't letting on about. _:Whatever it takes to be with you.: _He felt her sigh as well.

Briar looked up into the eyes of the man who had blocked his way. Noticing for the first time that there weren't any plants in this particular alley he had a knife ready and waiting. The man stared back at him as if unsure if he should make the next move.

The bulky man he saw wasn't quite that young. Maybe he thought Briar would be an easy target, for his purse or his talents. He was much larger than Briar. He noticed that he had his knives with him and swore. _Funny, _Briar thought. _You planned to make this easy?_

Lan reluctantly rose to go back to the collegia, depressed on how much work he still had to do. The Dean didn't let him slip on anything so he would presumably stay up half the night studying. _:When do I get to play in the snow:_ he mind spoke, for they were having a very unexpected winter._ :Well it could be worse.:_ Kiara thought, resisting the attempt to tease him.

_:When do **I** get to carelessly hang out with all the other trainees? Or have a fight that I don't have to worry about who could get hurt:_ He temperly thought. _:It depends on when you would want to I suppose:_ She acidly remarked, catching him on his own thought. _:because the last time you played in the snow you came back with a fever:_ He had no reply to that one.

Briar was caught off-guard, for once, when a patrolman caught them about to fight. He said "Y'u 'wo be'er be off soms wheres, or I mighten 'ad to call fo' the o'hers." Briar thought he said but was so drunk it was hard to understand him. His opponent fled immediately. He had nothing to do but stalk off in the direction of Discipline.

Upon arriving at the cottage he noticed a complete lack of 'family'. Briar just stood there giving thought to anything he could have forgotten, and it swelled on him. He forgot that Most of his 'family' had gone to Summersa to pay a visit to the duke who was in fact Sandry's uncle. He felt a twinge of pain remembering that he had volunteered to stay until Daja returned. He heard a noise in his room off to the right. He wondered over and saw the problem immediately. Cub was looking for Them on the road. Daja. Returning home from helping out Frostpine. He went to open the door for her when he noticed she wasn't alone.

Lan was dispassionately late to realize that he had a day off, when he chose to visit his family. _Not that much of a fun-day._ He only hoped that he could avoid his family for some time to come. Lan knew that he was a dangerous time-bomb. He had a hard enough time to deal with everyone else. He resigned himself to just wander off for a little while. Hoping to find some peace. _:Hoping to skip out on doing any work is more like it:_ Kiara snorted to him. He should've guessed what she was up to. Then his mind was elsewhere.

Briar was dispassionately trimming his shaken when he felt himself dozing off. Daja and her friend Kirel had went off to forage for something to eat together. Cub was already snoozing in his own nest of dead grass, he trekked in from the garden. He decided that an actual dinner was too much trouble. So he went into his room and curled asleep.

The next day he was assigned to go to the Border to fight. He hated the thought of it. But then he would come back and stay for almost three months before he was needed again. He enjoyed the thought of the war ending in those three months. Then of course he would have to help pick this mess up. He had everything packed and ready. He was going to gate there by an ancient portcullis.

Briar had nothing much to do today, he probably will go to the greenhouse to check on the other plants. To see if any of them is drying out. He probably shouldn't but he will anyway. He'll get in complete trouble if Crane finds him but even that guy needs to sleep sometime. Daja wasn't there this morning so he assumed that she was already at the forge. He would come back later and help Rosethorn in the garden. At lest today it wasn't more weeding, weeding, weeding.

Lavan Firestorm was passing through the portal when he felt his stomach drop, _:Kiara!:_ , but he felt nothing that was her thoughts, he was in a stranggge place. Looking around he Saw that he was not in Haven, or on the border as he was supposed to be. Kaira faltered and dropped, Lan with her.

Briar Moss was going to feed Cub, with Tris having Bear now, he wanted his own guard dog. The shaggy mutt pup, as always, was eagerly trying to get out of his little hemp collar. Last time she did, Rosethorn kept her promised dunking. And as always Cub got loose to tackle Briar, as he was recovering he felt, more likely his plants felt the backlash of something.

Lan staggered dazedly to a near wall, as Kaira struggled to her feet. _:This could have been worse chosen:_, She mind-spoke him when he stared at her. That shook him a bit, _:especially if I was riding:_ he thought back.

Briar was being washed, seriously washed, by an overly anxious Cub. He struggled to push aside the pup and was immediately comforted by the fact that none of his plants were hurt, he checked the shaken, as always it was with that deep calm that penetrated him.

Lark was cleaning up the kitchen when Briar came in, "this might sound weird, but did you feel that?" he asked softly unsure if she would answer. Lark glanced at him, "I think Niko should warn us when he's playing with power words" Briar stared at him, if Niko was here so was his foster-sister Tris. "When did they come back?" he said as he reached to the fruit on the table. "this morning when you were paying the greenhouse a visit" Tris stated blankly as she came down the stairs.

"Kiara, please tell me where we are?" Lan begged of her. Some passersby glanced at the boy talking to himself. Lavan looked around, they were in what could be a lesser market of Haven, because it had that distinct circle pattern, but this one had clear shortcuts. _:Unless someone is blocking me and this IS Haven, we are not in Valdemar!!:_

Lark snapped to attention when a novice stumbled through, "Honored Moonstream sent me to find Goldeye" he gasped and fled to unearth the inquiry mage. Sandry gasped, nearly two feet of her yarn had come undone. Briar looked sideways at her, thinking she needed more lessons than him.

_:Chosen I hear someone, but I can't tell who is calling us.:_ He looked around, "let's find someplace to eat" he finally said after a pause. "then we'll think about what to do." Kaira nudged him and he resettled into the saddle. _:Chosen we can't eat here, with no money:_ She told him. "Then we'll have to earn some" he glanced and saw to his delight that the spiral in the middle of the town was slightly smoky.

"Well I guess means he isn't coming back till later" Tris grumbled. Bear decided to come in from the garden then. Cub squealed and ran, Briar of course followed. Until he was winded and then started following at a more sedated pace down the road that Winding Circle was named for.

Lan was just passing what might be a guard, and walked on. Heading towards the center at a slightly short pace, as not to attract attention. _:La---!:_ was all he heard before Something slammed into his side. Thankfully he had Kiara on his right, and what hurled him on his left.

Briar was chasing after the cub when he saw a little too late what the outsized pup did. He saw the boy fall into the horse. He didn't know what to do if the lad was seriously hurt, or worse. He raced to catch Cub, who was now sprawling over the pavement trying to stand up.

All I could see was the face of two boys, they looked identical, as I looked up at them. I must have been on the ground near Kiara because they were almost on top of me. I couldn't focus so I think it might just be one boy. He was trying to pick up the small bear that must have launched into me.

Thank goodness, the lad that Cub knocked into wasn't to bad off, he was a bit befuddled and he wore some strange clothes. So I thought he had some family or other waiting for him somewhere, and then I looked at his horse. The creature was snow white and absolutely beautiful, so I knew it was either deaf, blind, or stupid. Or all three, for it looked to the lad with a care and bared its teeth to Cub. Who was now cringing near my feet, afraid of something that he could probably jump onto.

Kiara was barely holding her anger at the dog, as I can now tell, that was doing its best to melt into the ground, I waved my hand at her. _:Kiara bee nice: _I told her. It was a little harder than normal but my slur wasn't too bad. _:Are you alright Lavan?:_ she asked as nicely as she could. Her eyes were still on the quivering pup.

Poor cub was still staring at the horse. I pushed him away and started to help the lad up but he slid back to the ground, eyes unfocused and he probably had a concussion so I did what I thought I should do, I took him to Rosethorn.

I didn't know where we were going but he was half carrying me so I didn't bother to try to walk again, just sitting up and I felt my world black out a little more as we walked. I still held Kiara's reins and she followed like any other horse would. The dog was happily chasing a something-or-other around the bend in the path. We came upon a small cottage which could be a rather nicer waystation. I didn't think so.

The boy I carried was by far too light, and hot. I didn't know if anyone could get a fever by getting bowled over. But Rosethorn would. I carried him into Discipline literally by the scruff, "Rosethorn, come quick!" I yelled out to the garden. Sandry and Tris overran her.

Lan wasn't moving in the boys arms, I played as docile as can be. The boy who had him was almost tall as Lan, he had green eyes and black hair, quite tanned too. When he yelled for someone I heard a hint of a mindcall something like _: . . ome . . help . . :_ I didn't know who called but the it sounded like this boy, and not Lan. I was nervous I couldn't go in the cottage but I couldn't stay out here.

When Briar called Tris and me it was quite clear. _: You have to came and help me with him!:_ He was getting better at that then we were. As we neared the entrance the sight puzzled me. Briar was holding a red-haired boy that looked like death without light. Rosethorn was right behind us when he called her out loud. Briar just held him pathetically. Rosethorn took one look and sent him to the Water Temple.

Tris saw the horse start to prance about and went to tie it up when she realized the reins were wrapped around the pommel, she knew about horses, some, but she wasn't brave enough to dare an unknown horse just to get the reins. The horse was a particular shade of white and when Tris looked at it sideways she was blinded. She tried to take a closer look but she couldn't.

Rosethorn was dealing with the boy, who was now camped out in Briar's room next to the door. She was keeping him laid down while she checked him over. He possibly had a concussion. He eyes were completely unfocused the whole time. He had a slight fever and nothing more. Rosethorn wanted to know who was he and how did he get here. His clothes were white as his horse and cut like he was from a different world.

All Lavan could see was a burly woman in an tree green tunic, it went past her knees. He couldn't remember how he go there or were he was but he did remember "kiara" he mumbled to the woman. He couldn't see more than her face, because that hazy red film was coming down. He groaned and tried to roll out of her hold. He had to find some water and fast. There was a plant in the room that started sizzling. The woman jumped and moved it out of the room.

R&R!! i wanna know if this is good enough to continue!!


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